


Feelings Carved on Japor

by SkylaDoragono



Category: Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Father-Son Relationship, Force Bond (Star Wars), Gen, Mother-Son Relationship, Reminiscing, That's Not How The Force Works
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:40:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21803842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkylaDoragono/pseuds/SkylaDoragono
Summary: Feelings are complicated in this family, but that hasn't kept Skywalkers from showing how they care.
Relationships: Luke Skywalker & Darth Vader, Padmé Amidala & Luke Skywalker, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 13
Kudos: 38





	1. Padmé

Padmé Amidala stared down at the information before her, knowing the data it contained without really needing to read it. She had been sick often as of late, starting not long after her and Anakin had one of their last few precious moments together before he had to return to the war front. Of course, she had suspected she was pregnant — she knew her own body well enough to know what was going on. With the war and her husband’s position, she never thought she would experience it, and she knew she should be ecstatic; she always wanted a child, always wanted a family.

Instead, she felt nothing but dread.

The future of the Republic — of the whole galaxy — was frighteningly uncertain. Every day, reports came in from the front of more Jedi killed, more planets in the Outer Rim lost to the Separatist cause. They were losing ground, and with peace talks having broken down long ago, losing hope as well. Even on the off chance that they won this war, even if some bold strike by the Jedi (led by her husband and Obi-Wan, no doubt)  _ did  _ manage to bring the Separatist leadership to heel, she did not believe things would be any better. The Supreme Chancellor had more power than anyone of his station ever had, and had long out-served the normal term of office. She wanted to say she knew Sheev, the kind man that had mentored her politically and supported her career as queen and senator both, but…

War changed people.

Padmé swallowed hard, blanking out the data on her terminal and standing from her desk. A hand absently went to her abdomen as she forced herself not to dwell on the fear that came when she thought of the future, instead focusing on the life that was growing inside her. It was too early to tell anything for certain, but… part of her was certain the baby would be a boy, so certain that she felt if she closed her eyes, she could almost see a little boy, as Anakin had once been. He would have his father’s looks, but a kind smile and a gentle demeanor, and a heart so full of light that everywhere he went felt a little bit brighter.

The thought brought a smile to her face as she absently rubbed at her stomach, still too small to show, but she knew that would change quickly enough.

“My little light,” ehs murmured softly, finding herself heading toward her bedroom. She paused, momentarily surprised with herself, before she realized why should would come here in her wandering. She immediately went for the chest that held two of her most precious belongings: Anakin’s padawan braid, and the japor snippet he had given her when he was still so small.

Padmé pulled the charm out, gently closing the chest once more. It was a simple thing, carved with symbols of luck and good fortune, but it had come to mean so much more to her. It was love and family, it was the physical representation of the bond she shared with Anakin, and now their unborn child.

She smiled softly as she slipped the cord for it over her head, her hand returning to her abdomen. Anakin… he would not return from the front until Life Day, assuming nothing went terribly wrong to bring him back sooner — or worse, delay him.

“Do you think you can wait until Life Day, my little Luke?” she asked softly, knowing it was far too early for her child to hear her, but she did not care. “What a wonderful gift you would be…”


	2. Luke

His dreams were different.

It was not a bad thing; since Bespin, Luke Skywalker had been haunted by a black shadow, whispering truths he had not wanted to accept. Once his birthday passed and Life Day neared, however, the black shadow had faded, but the soft voice whispering to him in words he could not comprehend was no less distressing. He did not know the voice and could not understand whatever language they were speaking, to the point he was thinking of it as less of a dream and more of a vision from the Force.

And he  _ really  _ wished the Force was better at explaining itself.

As much as he tried to ignore it, tried to dismiss it, the dreams still lingered in the back of his mind during his waking hours. There was something important, something he was missing and he felt like his subconscious was screaming at him to figure it out already.

“You alright there, boss?”

Luke let out a faint noise as he snapped back to reality, staring blankly at his dinner mate. Wedge raised a curious eyebrow at him and he blinked back stupidly, before looking around the rest of the mess hall. Most everyone else had already left; only his second had stayed behind to keep an eye on him while he zoned out, and Luke let out a groan at that, thumping his head against the table.

“That good, hunh?” Wedge asked, a bit of a grin coming to his face as he reached over and patted Luke on the head. He let out an indecipherable grumble that got the other pilot to let out a laugh.

“C’mon, Luke, really,” Wedge continued, and he lifted his head enough to see the concerned look on his face. “If there’s anything I can do to help…”

Luke smiled faintly, pulling himself back upright.

“I’ve just… been having dreams,” he replied after a moment, feeling a part of himself ease at the confession. Wedge raised a curious eyebrow, tilting his head.

“Force thing?” he asked.

“I think so,” he admitted, deflating a little. “If it is, I don’t understand what it’s trying to show me.”

Wedge let out a faint noise, folding his arms over his chest and leaning back in his seat. He sat there a moment, face scrunched up in thought, before he leaned forward again, shuffling around in his pockets. It was a moment before he was pulling out a small blade and a smaller chunk of wood, plopping it down in front of Luke, who could only stare, bewildered.

“What’s this?”

“Japor ivory wood,” Wedge explained. “Pretty tough and difficult to burn, but nice for whittling.”

Luke paused, before raising an eyebrow at his second. The Corellian shrugged sheepishly, shifting in his seat.

“Look, you do that thing where you’re practically in a trance while working on your ship, right?” he asked, before gesturing to the wood. “Maybe you just need something else to go all Force-y at.”

Wedge… had a point. Maybe he did need something different to focus on in order to understand what was going on. Hesitantly, he picked up the wood, noticing that it was smooth and dense, and almost did not feel like wood at all. More than that, though, it felt… familiar, almost like he had held it multiple times before.

In the next moment, he had the knife in his hand, Wedge’s curious voice falling away as his hands felt like they were moving on their own, going through the motions he had gone through before. Except he had not done this before, he knew this, if only because he had never seen this kind of wood. Someone had, someone he knew, and…

_ What a wonderful gift you would be… _

Luke stopped dead as the voice that had been plaguing him for weeks was suddenly crystal clear, and he found himself staring at what he was carving. He recognized the symbolism of course; it was a symbol of good fortune, used among slaves on Tatooine. It felt like more than that, though; whispers of love and promised family hummed in his ears, to the point that Luke could swear he could see a face he did not recognize, but…

Before he could say it, a sudden chill settled over him, stealing the air from his lungs. He shot up from his seat, startling Wedge. The base com cut on before he could ask what was wrong, announcing that Imperial troops had been spotted in the sector. Wedge did not need to ask then, shooting up from his seat and grabbing Luke by the arm.

“C’mon, boss; we gotta go!”

Luke did not realize he had accidentally left the carved piece of Japor behind until he was long off in hyperspace.


	3. Rey

Rey stood apart from the others, watching with a faint smile on her face as Poe attempted to explain to Finn the purpose of Life Day. The former stormtrooper was staring at the pilot in a mix of rapt attention and adorable confusion, and Rey could not quite blame him. She was not exactly an expert on Life Day herself, but she was pretty sure most of what Poe was saying was Bantha poodoo, particularly the part where they were obligated to drink what she assumed was some sort of alcohol (never mind it was too white and milky-looking to be like the alcohol she was used to seeing) and sing songs around a fire. Even Finn did not seem to be buying that one, and Rey thought that  _ maybe  _ she needed to save him from Poe’s flailing insistence, but she thought better of it.

Especially as she felt a looming presence creeping up into her mind.

Rey fought against a grimace, stubbornly trying to keep the “door” between them firmly shut. He did not try to break it down, but he did stay there, his presence as easily felt as if he were physically there, looming over her shoulder. She let out a breath, trying to focus back on Poe and Finn, or listen for 3PO’s nattering and R2’s snide remarks with BB-8 chiming in with him, but  _ he  _ refused to quit, to the point where she half expected him to start mentally tapping on the “door” like a puppy dog that desperately wanted to snuggle with its person.

Rey finally let out a huff, slipping around the cargo box she had been leaning against, looking around for anyone that might see her. Satisfied, she opened that “door” just a crack, pouring the full force of a glare through it.

_ “What?”  _ she hissed through gritted teeth, somehow managing to keep her voice low.

“I need to speak with you,” his soft voice replied, melodically morose, unlike the last time she had heard him speaking. Just thinking of that time brought her blood to a boil, disappointment clawing at the fringes of her awareness. She still was not sure what that disappointment was aimed at though; him, for letting her down, or herself, for even thinking she, an outsider, could do anything to help him.

“I’m still not interested, oh Supreme Leader,” she hissed, ready and willing to slam the “door” in his face. His hand snapped out before she could do that, keeping her from doing so.

“Not about that,” he replied, giving her a look so full of vulnerable desperation, so much like he had in the past, that she felt her stubborn resolve to keep him out fizzle a little. She let out an annoyed huff, before giving up, instead folding her arms over her chest, as if that would be enough to discourage him.

“Make it quick then,” she replied, her jaw firmly set, chin tilted up. He must have found it amusing, because his lips quirked up slightly in a faint attempt at a smile. In the next moment, he was reaching for her, gently prying an arm free from her tight hold on herself. Rey knew she probably should have made more of an effort to stop him, should have at least tried to muster up the energy to be annoyed with him, but she could not manage it, especially as he dropped something in her hand and closed her fingers around it before letting her go.

Rey frowned as she pulled her hand back, uncurling her fingers to reveal a small bit of hardwood with carvings on it she did not recognize. A loop of cord was attached, and she held it up, frowning slightly as it dangled before her.

“What is it?” she asked.

“It’s a Japor snippet,” he replied, falling silent a moment later, and when she looked up, she could see him swallowing uncomfortably. She dropped the charm back into her hand, the expression on her face quietly prompting him to continue. “My grandmother is buried with one, and… there was one in my grandfather’s remains…”

He trailed off, having difficulty trying to say what he wanted to say. Rey, meanwhile, felt something she could not quite describe come over her, like there was something she was being dragged into that she was not entirely sure she wanted.

Nevermind she was already in it, considering this complicated bond she had with Ben Solo.

“It seems,” he finally continued softly, “my family best conveys difficult feelings on these Japor charms. I… wanted to do the same.”

Rey fell very still, especially as Ben reached out again, curling her fingers around the charm. His hand remained over hers, their eyes meeting, and Rey could feel her insides tremble uncomfortably.

“I wanted some way to show what a wonderful gift you are,” he concluded softly, and Rey felt like her entire existence shook under her feet.

“Ben,” she finally forced past her stunned throat, but he was already letting her go. Her free hand reached out, trying to grab for him, but he was already gone, her hand grabbing nothing but air.

Rey let out a shuddering breath, the weight of the charm in her hand very,  _ very  _ real. She uncurled her fingers, an uncomfortable twinge in her stomach and an ache in her chest. She felt like crying, the feelings that had plagued her after that fight in the throne room coming to her like a fresh knife wound.

Maybe he was not all gone.

Maybe… maybe he was still their only hope.

Maybe…

“Hey, Rey! Where’d you go?”

Rey started at Finn’s voice, quickly checking her face before slipping the cord over her head, hiding the charm under her tunic just as he poked his head around the crates.

“Hey, Poe’s trying to—” he began, but cut himself off, frowning. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” Rey said, though he did not look like he believed her.  _ Rey  _ did not even really believe her, but maybe saying it again would be convincing.  _ “Yes,  _ I’m fine.”

He gave her a dubious look, and Rey could not help but compare the look to a puppy. Perhaps puppy dog traits were a side effect of surviving the First Order. The thought brought a smile to her face, and she reached out, looping an arm around his.

“Now, why don’t you tell me what Poe’s trying to con you into doing.”


End file.
